It’s almost Mother’s Day! Time to roll out the pink camo jackets, teal .22 pistols, and concealed carry purses. Right? Maybe not so much. If you have a woman in your life that already shoots, or has expressed an interest in shooting, we’ve got some better suggestions for you.

For the experienced shooter:
The number one request from the women we spoke with on Facebook was for TIME. Of course we all know that mothers want time alone, but when you’re a mother and a shooter it can be even harder to get that coveted range time. You can’t exactly bring the kids along to the range and expect them to safely entertain themselves while you put a few hundred rounds through a paper target. And worrying about having to rush home to put dinner on the table won’t help you make the most of your range time, either. So give her plenty of time (which costs you nothing, unless you want to chip in for the range fees) and spend the money you’d budgeted on a few extra boxes of ammo so she knows she can really go to town!
Free: Range time
$20-50: Ammo
$50+: LOTS of Ammo

For the curious, but less experienced, shooter:
Maybe she’s taken some lessons, or been to the range with you once or twice before, but she’s in between “obsessed” and “total beginner”. Does she own her own firearms yet? A new firearm might not really be in your Mother’s Day budget, but maybe some ammo is. Pick up a box of a few different types of ammo for your firearms, and make sure she knows those cartridges are hers to shoot.* Another way to bridge the gap between novice and addict is by helping her turn shooting into her own hobby by getting her involved with other women in the area that shoot. A Girl and A Gun is a great organization that brings women of all experience levels together to give them an opportunity to shoot more. Gift the woman in your life with an AGAG membership and for extra brownie points order a copy of their Shooting Journal to help keep her motivated. Of course a lot of ranges are closed and classes are postponed right now, but she’ll have something exciting to look forward to when things start to get back to normal!
Free: Range time with you
$20-50: Ammo for your firearms*
$50+: Membership to AGAG or other women-only shooting organization and AGAG’s Shooting Journal

For the enthusiastic beginner:
Lessons! Every shooter can always benefit from time with a professional, but for an inexperienced woman it can be really intimidating to get started. Starting with someone who’s been trained to train and can answer your “stupid questions” before you even have to ask them is a great way to help a new shooter get comfortable with firearms. I highly recommend the NRA’s Women on Target classes. It’s an informative class for just women (often who don’t have any experience handling firearms) that goes through the basics of safety and gives women hands-on time with a variety of different types of firearms. And since this is an inexpensive option, why not buy her some important gear that she’ll need when you go to the range together: hearing protection, eye protection, and her own ammo (when in doubt: AMMO)!
Free: Open House at the Range or other free intro to shooting events
$20-50: NRA’s Women on Target class, or other beginner class for women
$50+: NRA’s Women on Target class plus the essentials she’ll need for the next time you two go shooting (hearing and eye protection, and her own ammo)

A few other options to keep in mind:
If none of those ideas seem quite right for your gal, here are some other suggestions the female shooters we spoke to asked for:

• Holsters
• Targets
• Range bag
• First aid kit
• Water bottle
• Chill rag
• Tactical pants/Hunting gear
• Scopes
• Gun cleaning kit
• And (very specifically): IWI’s Tavor SAR in basic black

So, please, if there’s a female shooter in your life that you want to honor on Mother’s Day don’t just get her the “lady option” at your local gun shop. Give her some good-old fashioned alone time and a few boxes of ammo. After all, just because we gave birth to your children doesn’t mean we don’t want to get away from them for some range time!

*Of course keep in mind local laws. If she needs a license that she doesn’t have to shoot your firearms, then stick with ammo for a different type of gun.